{"id":1874,"date":"2026-05-28T07:34:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T07:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1874"},"modified":"2026-05-28T07:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T07:34:31","slug":"paris-saint-germain-on-the-brink-of-greatness-in-the-champions-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1874","title":{"rendered":"Paris Saint-Germain on the brink of greatness in the Champions League"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
PSG fans light flares on the stands during a Champions League semifinal, first leg, soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Aurelien Morissard)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Champions League<\/a> , the most important continental trophy in European club soccer, is the prize at stake in the final at Budapest on Saturday. For Paris Saint-Germain and Luis Enrique, it doesn\u2019t end there.<\/p>

Read more Ohtani fumes through 6 no-hit innings as two-way superstar battles command<\/a><\/p>\n

On the line against Arsenal for the defending champion<\/a> and its serial-winning Spanish coach is the chance to stake its claim to be considered the greatest team of this era<\/a> .<\/p>\n

\u201cI arrived at the club thinking, \u2018My objective is to make history,\u2019 and we have indeed made history,\u201d Luis Enrique said. \u201cWe want to keep writing the story because we believe there\u2019s still more there for us to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

PSG is already in the conversation when it comes to judging the finest teams to have won the title in the age of the Champions League. But sometimes cold, hard facts are required to drive the point home.<\/p>\n

Victory at the Puskas Arena would see PSG become only the second team to retain the trophy since the old European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.<\/p>\n

For many years it didn\u2019t happen even for teams regarded as generationally great.<\/p>\n

Pep Guardiola\u2019s Barcelona won two in three years. AC Milan and Juventus each reached three consecutive finals in the 90s but only won one apiece. Ajax and Manchester United took title defenses all the way to the final only to fall at the last hurdle.<\/p>\n

Real Madrid \u2014 winner of more European titles than any other club \u2014 finally bucked that trend, winning three in a row from 2016-18. What seemed unthinkable before and since would suddenly seem a very real target for PSG if it prevails on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Luis Enrique would join Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane as a three-time Champions League winner. Not that his motivation is based on personal accolades.<\/p>\n

Having won the Champions League with Barcelona, Luis Enrique has produced a PSG team that has set the benchmark in Europe over the past two seasons. It combines attacking flair with an energy and tenacity that appears to be moving the sport in a new direction. A team that plays with a high risk of being exposed defensively for the ultimate reward.<\/p>\n

At its best, PSG seems unstoppable, with last year\u2019s 5-0 rout of Inter Milan<\/a> in the final the most dominant in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

And with a squad that has an average age of under 24, the potential is there for it to dominate for years to come.<\/p>\n

Desire Doue, the two-goal hero of last year\u2019s final, is just 20. Tireless midfielder Joao Neves is 21.<\/p>\n

It is plain to see in PSG\u2019s performances \u2014 such as the 5-4 win over Bayern Munich<\/a> in the semifinals \u2014 that this is a special team, but titles are needed to confirm its status among the greatest.<\/p>\n

To many, Guardiola\u2019s Barcelona that won in 2009 and 2011 with Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta is the benchmark for the modern era.<\/p>

Read more Ohtani sparks Dodgers with a leadoff homer, leads 7 hitless innings in 4-1 win<\/a><\/p>\n

To some, Luis Enrique\u2019s title-winning Barcelona team in 2015, spearheaded by Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, was even better.<\/p>\n

Statistically, none can match Zinedine Zidane\u2019s Madrid team of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos that won three consecutive titles. Over a five-year period Madrid was European champion four times.<\/p>\n

Overall, PSG has a long way to go to come close to Madrid\u2019s 15 titles, having won the Champions League for the first time last year. But it can stake its claim to be considered the best of its era.<\/p>\n

PSG has certainly taken its time to reach this point. Backed by Qatari riches, it bought the best players in the world in its bid to conquer Europe \u2014 Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as billions of dollars were spent.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until there was a shift in focus to a more team-based model \u2014 still packed with superstars acquired at exorbitant cost \u2014 that PSG reached the summit.<\/p>\n

Out went the Galacticos Messi, Neymar and finally Mbappe. In came Doue, Joao Neves, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Ousmane Dembele \u2014 a player who hadn\u2019t fulfilled expectations at Barcelona \u2014 reemerged in Paris as the talisman of a spectacularly talented, but inexperienced group.<\/p>\n

A semifinal in Luis Enrique\u2019s first campaign was followed by last year\u2019s triumph and the chance to go back-to-back this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say there was more pressure last season because everyone was like, \u2018This is it! We can\u2019t lose this time!\u2019\u201d Luis Enrique said. \u201cThis time around, there is pressure because we believe we deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While PSG targets history, Arsenal is aiming to pull off an upset and win its first Champions League title.<\/p>\n

The Premier League champion<\/a> advanced to the final after topping the league phase of the European competition with a perfect winning record.<\/p>\n

Mikel Arteta\u2019s team is in the final after being beaten by PSG in last year\u2019s semifinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s two teams that are exceptional in the way they function, (how) they adapt and the intensity they play with,\u201d Arteta said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to be our best version to win it.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Courtney Williams scores 25 as the Lynx beat the Dream 96-81<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

James Robson is at https:\/\/x.com\/jamesalanrobson<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Champions League, the most important trophy in soccer\u2019s European continental club competition, is the prize at stake in the final at Budapest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nParis Saint-Germain on the brink of greatness in the Champions League - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1874\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paris Saint-Germain on the brink of greatness in the Champions League - 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